Content Management Systems have been in use for a long time. But they posed challenges like difficulty in resharing or reusing content on a wide range of platforms. That is how headless content management systems came about. Over the years, the use of headless CMS has increased exponentially. More organizations are looking for flexible CMS with more features and benefits. This article will highlight
What is a Headless Content Management System (CMS)?
A headless CMS is a content management system that manages content, and stores and maintains it.
A headless CMS is not tasked with the responsibility of presenting content on the application. This means that you use headless cms to serve content on the different platforms-a web app, a native mobile app, a desktop and so on.
A headless CMS in its literal meaning means it does not have a head, which is the front end or the presentation of the content. It provides an API, either Graphql or REST for the user to render the content on a frontend.
Difference between Headless CMS and traditional CMS
A headless CMS is made up of only the content. It does not have a front-end editor. You can render the content you create on the backend on any frontend of your choice through an API.
A traditional CMS is composed of both the content and the presentation. This CMS has a frontend editor where you can access the content which you created in the backend.
Traditional CMS are referred to as “monoliths” because all the resources you would need are packed in the CMS, unlike headless CMS that are decoupled. This makes traditional CMS use plugins to boost the application. A headless CMS, on the other hand, uses APIs so you could integrate other tools and libraries to boost the productivity of the site.
What are the Benefits of Headless CMS Software?
Flexibility
A headless CMS is designed to use different options of front-end systems. You could use a headless CMS to render your content on any device. It could be mobile, web, desktop or even smartwatches.
Cloud storage
A headless CMS is backed up in the cloud. This makes it accessible to use on different platforms. The backup of content in the cloud saves you from dealing with losing data, poor traffic and so on.
Security
Headless CMS has lesser risks of being attacked. Since they are API-driven, their possible exposure is through the APIs. Common attacks like DDOS(Denial of service) attacks do not happen with headless CMS.
Ease of customization
Headless CMS provides developers with the ease of utilizing the language and framework they wish to use in applications. They could easily customize the applications to suit their taste. With the API, they could build beautiful applications.
Availability of tools
Headless CMS provides a rich set of tools for editing content and improving the general outlook of the site. This makes headless CMS to be used by developers and non-developers as well. Headless CMS run updates as at when due to improve the performance of the software.
List of Top Headless CMS Software
These are the top headless CMS based on their ease of use and reviews.
- Hygraph
- Butter CMS
- Sanity
- Storyblok
- Strapi
- Contentful
- AgilityCMS
- Content stack
- Directus
- Kontent.ai
Hygraph
Hygraph is a headless CMS that provides a GraphQL API for its users to create content and render content on their preferred platforms. According to reviews on g2, it is the easiest to use.
Hygraph is formerly known as GraphCMS. Hygraph provides access to a wide range of Content delivery networks (CDN) to serve data. Integrates with static site generators, SDKs and other third-party applications.
Pricing:
Hygraph is free for community use.
Also offers paid plans for professional use which start at $299 a month.
Butter CMS
This is a headless CMS that is easy to use and it provides SEO support. Provides libraries that work with any framework. Butter CMS also offers access to CDNs, and webhooks and they have a fast content update. Butter CMS provides security support for its users and its admin page is customizable.
Pricing:
Butter CMS has a free plan for community use. It has a paid plan for professional use, starting at $83 a month.
Sanity
Sanity is a popular headless CMS that is known for its flexibility. It provides access to customizable widgets, components and so on. It supports frameworks and other third-party integrations. It is scalable and provides security support too.
Pricing:
Sanity has a free basic plan. It also has paid plans which start at $99 a month.
Storyblok
Storyblok is a headless CMS that provides support to render content on a wide range of devices- desktops, mobile phones, smart watches etc. It provides support for many languages and frameworks which includes, ASP.NET, Django, Nuxtjs, Nextjs, Angular, Laravel, Svelte and so on. You can easily customize the workflow and it has SEO support.
Pricing:
It has a free plan. Paid plans start at €90.75 a month.
Strapi
This is a headless CMS that provides customization and its API is easy to use. It is widely used among developers. It is self-hosted and provides you with the option to host on any server of your choice or on the cloud. It supports the integration of third-party applications.
Pricing:
It has a free plan.
Paid packages start at $29 a month.
Contentful
Contentful is one of the oldest headless CMS. It is hosted on AWS and integrates third-party applications like Cloudinary, Gatsby and so on. It supports a wide range of languages and frameworks. It provides fast content updates and a customizable UI.
Pricing:
Free for community use.
Paid plans start at $489.
Agility CMS
Agility CMS is a headless CMS that provides an easily customized interface for its users. It is accessible and flexible to use. It provides fast content updates and page and module management.
Pricing:
Has a free plan that is limited.
Paid plans start at $900 a month.
Content stack
Content stack is a CMS that provides content creation and management. It uses REST APIs to render content on devices. It also supports the integration of third-party applications.
Pricing:
Has a free trial.
Paid plans start at $995 a month.
Directus
Directus is an open data headless CMS. It allows their users to create databases according to their project needs. The Directus API can be integrated into the API to manage the content which will be rendered.
Pricing:
Free and paid options are available.
Kontent.ai
Kontent.ai is a cloud-based headless CMS. Its services are hosted on Microsoft Azure. It uses Fastly for its CDN. Provides support to APIs like REST and GraphQL. It also supports fast integration of frameworks and other applications.
Pricing:
Has a free plan for community use.
Paid plans start at $2,999 a month.
Conclusion
That sums up the top ten headless CMS. This is primarily based on their ease of use. There are other factors to consider when choosing a headless CMS to work with. Factors that are peculiar to your business needs. So it will be up to you to make the decision.
There are other amazing headless CMS out there. You can check g2 reviews for more.
Top comments (4)
I appreciate this comprehensive list of top headless CMS solutions in 2023. However, I'd like to draw attention to Contentrain.io, a Git-based Headless CMS that has been a game-changer for my team and me.
Contentrain.io's powered by Git repositories, offers a simple, secure, and performant platform for building websites, even for users without extensive technical knowledge. It has proven to be an effective and reliable solution for our projects, and its compatibility with popular Static Site Generators (SSGs) and third-party tools has made it an easy-to-use and versatile option.
While the platforms listed in this article are fantastic choices, I believe Contentrain.io is an underrated gem in the headless CMS world that deserves a spot on this list. If you haven't checked it out yet, I'd highly recommend giving it a try – it might just become your go-to headless CMS solution too!
Headless does not means Cloud storage and API driven does not mean it is safe. All these systems can be hacked.
Yes, you are also right
Great list Ezinne - to add one more for future editions, we at Contento have launched a brand new Headless CMS specifically for B2B, SaaS and tech websites.